DIY Canned Good Storage Rack

This easy-to-build canned good storage rack holds more than 144 cans and could be built for around $30 in a single weekend. New cans are loaded from the top and roll back, where they drop to the lower level and then roll forward. Older cans are taken from the bottom so your stock is automatically rotated.

This project came about for two reasons. The first is that we out near the country. The second is that we aren’t very good at planning meals in advance.

Living out near the country has its advantages. Traffic is light. It’s quiet. The stars are bright. Of course, being removed the hustle and bustle means NOTHING is close, including the grocery store. Not planning in advance means making ‘less-than-quick’ trips to the store frequently.

In order to facilitate cooking at home, we started stocking more canned goods in our pantry. The problem with just using regular shelving is that it isn’t efficient from a space perspective and it’s very inconvenient to rotate the cans so the older ones in the back don’t expire.

This canned good storage rack solves the space and rotation problems while keeping everything organized. We loaded with staples such as various beans, soups, and canned tomatoes. We also have a slot for SpaghettiOs for quick kid meals. The slot on the far right is a dedicated space for tuna cans.

As you can see below, the unit is comprised of a series of dividers and shelves. Holes are drilled into dividers that allow dowels to slide through and support the shelves. The upper shelves are angled down toward the back and stop roughly 4 inches from the back, creating an opening to the lower shelf. The angle allows the cans to roll back and then drop down onto the bottom shelf. The bottom shelf sits higher at the back so it is angled down toward the front, allowing the cans to roll forward.